Mountaineers shoot down limp Rhinos

Mountaineers recorded their first victory of the 2020/21 Zimbabwe Domestic T20 cricket competition when they beat Rhinos by 23 runs, at Harare Sports Club, on Monday.

Rhinos won the toss and chose to bowl in a match that lacked colour and pizazz.

Wellington Masakadza top-scored with 56 of 39 balls. Seven fours were scored in his innings, getting to his first half century in T20s, showing there is more to him than his fine left-arm leggies.

Other than that, only Donald Tiripano was able to get to 20 as Mountaineers made 120 for the loss of nine wickets.

Spinner Brandon Mavuta was skillful and effective taking three wickets and giving away on 14 runs in three overs. His cute legbreakers had batsmen for long periods. His best delivery was when he got one to through the gates and knock down Shingi Masakadza’s middle stump.

Neville Madziva impressed with two for 22 and Ryan Burl two for 24.

The chase started with Prince Masvaure at the crease with Brendan Taylor. The former was out, caught off the bowling of Donald Tiripano for 10. The dismissal of Taylor was controversial as he was given out trapped leg before for 13 by umpire Foster Mutizwa. Video showed that the ball had not only come off Taylor’s bat onto his foot, but that it well outside off stump and would have been missing by a distance. Impact was also out of line.

In the next over, as Tarisai Musakanda (5) slashed at a ball from Nyauchi outside the off stump and skyed a catch; 32 for three.

Burl and Charles Kunje were in together, and there were no fireworks from Burl at first as the pair had to avoid risks in such a situation.

After a few overs, though, Burl decided the time had come to take on Wellington Masakadza, and swung him for two leg-side sixes in three balls.

The stand was broken by another poorly-judged cross-bat shot, as Kunje tried to paddle a straight ball from Nyauchi to square leg and was bowled for 22; the stand had added 53 runs and taken the score to 85 in the 12th over.

Two overs later came the biggest blow, as Burl (32 off 30 balls) slashed a ball from Chatara square on the off side, but straight to Munyonga, and was out with the score now 96 for five in the 14th over.

Mountaineers were right on top now.

Three balls later Chatara removed Burl’s partner, Tashinga Musekiwa, for nine, caught deep on the leg side; 97 for six.

The total passed 100, but wickets were falling like skittles now, as Madziva (1) hit across the line to a ball from Munyonga to be bowled behind his legs at 101 for seven.

The rest of the Rhinos batsmen had nothing to offer, as Mumba and Mavuta fell to Tiripano for four and two respectively.

Campbell did his best in making 12, but he was last out with the total at 121 in the penultimate over.

Tiripano returned the good figures of four wickets for 13 runs, dismissing the two openers and two tail-enders, while there were two wickets each for Chatara and Nyauchi.

This victory is a lifeline for Mountaineers, who therefore still have a chance of reaching the final, but after two defeats Rhinos are in a precarious situation.

Click here to watch the full match between Rhinos and Mountaineers

Click here to check out the full scorecard for the match between Rhinos and Mountaineers

Zimbabwe Domestic Twenty20 Competition

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